Bachelor of Fine Arts

BFA candidates Spring 2006

The Department of Art + Design, endowed as the Hite Institute of Art + Design, offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree. Primarily intended for professionally oriented art and design students, and for those planning to pursue graduate work in the studio arts or to assume leadership positions in the fields of graphic or interior design, the BFA degree provides the opportunity for students to go into more depth in their chosen area. There are three tracks in the BFA Program:

  • Studio Art 
    Ceramics, Drawing, Fiber Arts/Mixed Media, Glass, New Media, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture

The Studio Art track allows students to customize their degree to either focus primarily on a specific studio area or to work cross-media taking courses in several studio areas.

 

Admission

Admission to this program is selective and competitive. Enrollments are limited.

Current BA in Art, track in Studio Art majors are eligible to apply to the BFA program in:

Studio Art:
after completing the Foundations Program in Studio Art, or equivalent, plus having completed or currently enrolled in a 300 or 500-level course in the program track area for which they intend to apply. See an academic advisor for specific application requirements.

Graphic Design:
after completing the 100-level Foundations Program in Studio Art, or equivalent, plus currently enrolled in the ART 205 Foundation Design Methods course, offered in the Spring semester. See an academic advisor for specific application requirements.

Interior Design:
after completing the Foundations Program in Studio Art, or equivalent, plus currently enrolled in the ART 361 Introduction to Interior Design course, offered in the Fall semester. See an academic advisor for specific application requirements.

All BFA applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in studio art and art history classes and a minimum overall GPA of 2.5 to be admitted and to remain in the program. If accepted into the BFA program, students take additional courses at the 500-level in one of the four BFA program tracks: 2D Studios, 3D Studios, Graphic Design, or Interior Design.

Curriculum

Students complete 60 - 64 hours of coursework in the Department of Art + Design as follows:

  • Four foundations studio courses (12 hrs).
  • Two 300-level studio art courses (6 hrs).
  • Two 200-level art history survey courses, plus one to two 300-level or above art history courses (9-12 hrs).
  • The professional practice course for their specific track (1-3 hrs).
  • Studio art courses specific to their track as outlined below:
  • Studio Art: In addition to the above requirements, students will take 15 hours of courses at the 500-level in their area of concentration (e.g. ceramics, drawing, fiber/mixed media, glass, new media, painting, photography, printmaking, or sculpture), plus 15 hours in studio art or art history electives.
  • Graphic Design: In addition to the above requirements, students will take 27 hours of courses at the 500-level in graphic design plus 3 hours in 300-level or above studio art or art history electives.
  • Interior Design: In addition to the above requirements, students will take 33 hours of courses at the 500-level in interior design.

 

In addition, a grade of "D" in any department course 300-level or above may not be used to fulfill a departmental requirement.